Really Starts To Sting
by Bakura13
Summary: Boris isn't finished with Kai just yet. He wants the teenager to return to the abbey and has a dangerous plan on doing so. The Demolition Boys are in charge and are ordered to use their full potiential if necessary.
1. Chapter I A Shadow Over Russia

Chapter I – A Shadow Over Russia

[Yet again, my imagination manages to think of something else very vaguely... If there are any spelling mistakes, I apologize. Even though there's a spell checker, I miss the words anyhow. Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade.]

Tala walked down one of the empty corridors of the abbey, his footsteps echoing onto the walls. It had been a few years since the incident between B.I.O.V.O.L.T and the BBA at the World Championships, thus giving time for Balkov Abbey to recover from Kai Hiwatari's brutal attack with the all-powerful Black Dranzer. His unchanged icy blue gaze swept across the hallway as he heard the clash of metal at the end of the corridor, passing barred cells on his way. He started to scowl slightly as he felt the air grow slightly heavy, knowing that whoever was using the training area at that late at night had been working for quite a while.

When the red-haired boy reached the end of the hallway, he placed a hand on the double doors in front of him, pausing for a moment. He could have sworn that he heard the whirring sound of rapidly spinning beyblades but the sound had disappeared, the clash of metal remaining. Not waiting a moment longer, Tala pushed open the doors to a mostly dark room, seeing sparks flashing from different points of the area. The only explanation was metal on metal.

He stayed silent as two teenagers, their faces mostly shadowed, jumped back to different sides of the room, raising their hands slowly in front of their faces as they breathed heavily in the humid air. Normally, Tala would find that odd and moved his gaze around the room, finding two beyblades that lay motionless on the floor.

"Hmph..." His expression remained indifferent as he looked at the weapons that the two teenagers wielded.

Heavy metallic gauntlets were worn on the hands of the two people and the edge of the gauntlets ended at the elbow, both sets identical in make. The fingertips were ended with sharp and deadly looking claws as beads of sweat barely hung onto them. Their heavy breathing was harsher slightly by the metal masks worn on their faces, just below their eyes; revealing the intense jade glares. There were slits in the masks so the two could breathe more easily but judging how they were looking, Tala found it utterly pointless. Knee-high metal boots, with dangerous spikes on the knee and toes, were similar to ones that knights in medieval times wore but were more flexible for movement.

One of the teenagers, less muscularly built than the other, had a long, dark blonde braid that ran down her back and ended at about her upper leg. She swiftly shifted a leg back into an offensive position, her partially sweat-drenched braid swinging slightly when the other took a warning step forward. The teenaged boy also had dark blonde hair but it was kept shorter and not long enough to tie back; but both of them were almost identical.

Tala, giving the other boy a harsh glare, said a few simple words. "Sinya. Dima. Lights out."

He felt a slight pang of anger boil inside of him as the shorter-haired Dima turned his glare towards meet the icy gaze of the Demolition Boys team leader. Since Tala could remember, Dima and him were not the best of acquaintances, if at all. In fact, not many were welcome to the dorms of Dima and Sinya, perhaps in fear or just being cautious.

"You heard me." Tala stated more firmly. "Boris said lights out about fifteen minutes ago before you took out another one of his cameras."

"And you think that you are in any position to give me orders..." Dima hissed in a low tone, flexing his gauntlet-covered hands slightly, making the joints creak softly.

"Considering that I am your superior, I expect you to do what I say when I tell you..." Tala's gaze hardened slightly as he saw the other smirk coolly and defiantly. "I am not liking the fact that my orders are being ignored... Now get back to your room. Both of you."

Sinya coughed harshly as a little blood started leaking through the grill of the mask, her offensive stance visibly weakening as her legs threatened to give out.

"Besides..." Tala put his hands on his hips. "Your counterpart is past her limit and you have no pathetic excuse to defy me..."

"I'm fine..." Sinya snapped bitterly, her actions speaking differently as she reluctantly slid down to one knee. "Fifteen minutes... Tell Boris-"

"He's already given you enough extra time and he has specifically told me to remove you two from this room." Tala stepped out of the doorway to prove his point. "Back to your rooms."

Dima's face turned into a scowl, the metal mask hiding his frown, as he snatched his beyblade up from the ground, making sure to push Tala on his way by. Tala simply watched the other with his icy glare, not phased by the shove that he had gotten. Tala looked back at Sinya, listening to the transmission that he got through his earpiece.

"You are to go to the infirmary and stay there until you're given permission to leave." Tala said as he watched the other leave the room in the similar fashion as her twin brother, excluding the shoving.

"Forget the infirmary..." Sinya growled, coughing again. "I'm fine on my own..."

"If you don't go there voluntarily, you'll be escorted there and stay there until Boris decides what he wants to do with your defiance." Tala explained, causing the other to stop angrily.

"... Fine..." The other said reluctantly as she started walking down a different hallway, leading towards the surface floors.

She kept a hand trailing across the wall, a slight screeching sound as a result when the metal dragged across the cold stone. She could feel Tala's icy fierce look on her back, just daring her to defy his orders. Scowling quietly, Sinya made her way up the stairs to the main floor and shoved the door open, nearly falling over. She kept her head up, in worry of falling over and not being able to have the will to stand herself up from the weight of her gauntlets and boots.

"Get moving." She hunched her shoulders slightly from the person behind her. "Hurry yourself up, you're making quite a bit of noise to wake up the whole abbey."

"Why don't you back off..." Sinya hissed, undoing the metal clasps that held her mask into place.

"You woke me up with your wretched whining..." Bryan sneered.

"I did no such thing!" Sinya snapped, wiping her mouth off on her shoulder since her forearms were still covered by the gauntlets.

"You may as well have... The way you were dragging yourself up the stairs was very irritating..." The pale purple-haired teenager said.

Sinya growled a few curses and continued on her way to the infirmary. Elsewhere in the abbey, Boris awaited the grouping of the Demolitions Boys. Tala, Ian and Spencer were standing quietly in front of their superior, not saying a word as the door creaked open noisily and Bryan stood there.

"Ah, Bryan... I'm pleased that you could make it..." Boris said in an approving tone, watching the said beyblader walk to his spot in line. "I suppose you are all curious of why I summoned you all this late at night... After that rather unfortunate failure during the World Championships those years ago... It has given B.I.O.V.O.L.T much time to think over their options..."

Tala's icy gaze followed Boris as the other took out a beyblade from his coat pocket. The other three members of the Demolition Boys followed in suite as the bit of the beyblade was shown to them.

"This... is Black Dranzer. I'm sure you all are quite familiar with its sheer power and dominance over the known beyblading world..." Boris smirked slightly. "As well as Kai's betraying decision against us... Striding for the World Championships was a hasty choice... Why start at the top when you can break the ground beneath them?"

"Excuse me for interrupting..." Tala started. "But did we not destroy that blade?"

"Of course not... What did you think the other three were testing their power for..."

Ian, Spencer and Bryan watched Boris walk up to the leader of the Demolition Boys, holding out the powerful beyblade towards him. The other three had attempted to master the power of the great bit beast but they only got so far before they failed. Tala was the only one that had not tested Black Dranzer's power and Boris had a knowing look on his face.

"Would you do the honor in commanding this escapade, Tala?" The beyblade lay motionless in Boris' hand for all of them to see.

Tala's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the beyblade, seeing the picture of the bit beast in the centerpiece. He raised a hand almost hesitantly and reached for the item, pausing for a moment before he took the beyblade in his hands and put his arm back to his side in silence.

"You may test out Black Dranzer in one of the training facilities... I am quite confident that you will be successful as well, or even better, than that disloyal Kai..." Boris stepped back a few paces. "If you are successful in handling Black Dranzer's power, and there is a good chance you will succeed, you boys will be joined by Dima... and Sinya..."

The four Demolition Boys visibly tensed slightly, their faces etched with partially masked anger. They particularly didn't favor the twins that had basically forced themselves into the abbey a while before the World Championships when B.I.O.V.O.L.T's major plan was going into play.

--

"Why not, Boris?!" Dima yelled impatiently.

"The team has already been selected and you are not even close to being prepared for such a mission..." Boris explained calmly, starting to get irritated by the boy's attitude. "This is strictly beyblading... not your combat skills... Until you can prove your worth by defeating one of the Demolition Boys, you are to stay here with your sibling and continue your training..."

"Tch..." The blond-haired boy looked away angrily at the Russian team that stood silently.

He caught the leader's gaze and Tala narrowed his eyes slightly, envious jade meeting ice blue as the two glared invisible daggers at one another. Kai wasn't the only one that Tala had a strong rivalry with and it was not going to be extinguished anytime soon.

--

"After the test run with Black Dranzer, your mission will be explained with more detail tomorrow morning..." Boris concluded. "Now, Tala... Let us see how you control the Black Dranzer's power..."

Tala nodded and walked into one of the nearby training rooms, setting the Black Dranzer beyblade into his gun launcher. He waited for a moment as Ian was selected to run a practice match against him, watching the smaller member of his team go to his side of the beydish. Both of them held their launchers up, shooting the beyblades into the dish and kept rather silent. The Black Dranzer beyblade spun solo in the center of the dish while Ian's beyblade run its own course near the edge of the dish before speeding towards the opposing blade.

Tala narrowed his eyes slightly before he called upon the bit beast. "Black Dranzer!"

"Wyborg!" Ian shouted, summoning his own bit beast.

A black flaming phoenix soared out of its beyblade towards its opponent, bringing up quite a bit of wind to ruffle the hair of both Demolition Boys. Tala had witnessed the power of Black Dranzer in the World Championships years ago but he had never actually wielded the control himself. Seeing the dominant bit beast overpowering its opponents and having a chance to be in control were completely different things, as Tala soon found out. He unintentionally took half a step back, somewhat shielding his face with an arm as the bit beast let its fury loose. He watched the beyblades and the bit beasts as they collided with each other, sending quite a bit of force back towards the beybladers.

"Finish the job, Black Dranzer!"

A bright light flashed harshly as Black Dranzer let out a screeching war cry and attacked the snake bit beast in one final strike. As the light faded off and cleared, so was the beydish with exception of the forbidden beyblade whirling almost effortlessly. Ian looked at his feet, finding his beyblade was not there until he looked behind him. The beyblade was lying motionless on the stone floor, a few cracks imbedded in the stonewall as it showed where the blade had struck. Ian made a slight 'tch' sound as he walked over and picked up his beyblade from the floor, looking at the cracks in the attack ring.

"Very good, Tala... I expected no less from you..." Boris' approving tone had returned with much praise. "You and Kai are very unique indeed... Being able to handle Black Dranzer with the proper training..."

Tala held his hand out towards the beydish and the beyblade swerved into his hand. He kept his exterior mostly emotionless as he looked at the beyblade, the centerpiece glowing with a blood red hue. Tala clenched his hand around the beyblade, seeing the glow through the spaces through his fingers as he thought back on how much control he actually had.

"The test results show a complete success... For this mission, you are to use Black Dranzer to persuade Kai to return to here... If he refuses, let me just say that the BBA won't have the control on the playing field. More details will be revealed in the morning and this is very different than the World Championships..." Boris concluded.

Tala stood still for a moment, the hue in the beyblade gone long ago, then left the training room since Boris had nothing left to say. He had to make a decision that Boris had most likely made for him. He was either going to use his bit beast Wolborg or the forbidden Black Dranzer to complete this mission. The hallways seemed a bit darker to Tala, less noticeable as he continued to look at the beyblade in his hand. The others on his team had failed to master the power of the bit beast and he was the only one with exception of Kai who could handle it. He put his arm back at his side, continuing to walk down the shadows of the hallway. Was he going to abandon his winter wolf Wolborg? Or was Black Dranzer's power more fulfilling?

[Whoo hoo... I already have plans for the next chapters and the rating is PG-13 for a reason... Mostly the language and, of course, there's going to be violence. But that makes it more interesting, ne?]


	2. Chapter II Drifting Closer

Chapter II – Drifting Closer  
  
[Argh, I missed a bunch of typos in the previous chapter... Sorry about that I think I fixed most of them but... there are possibly still some errors!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.]  
  
Kai sat quietly in the BBA office in Japan, his arms crossed calmly over his chest as he thought over the day's earlier events. It had been a few days since he got an unexpected call from the ones he wouldn't dare wonder about. The Demolition Boys. Something had to be wrong with that scenario and Kai's brain knew it.  
  
'Why would they call, asking for me...' He thought to himself and almost scoffed. 'Stupid question... Those bastards are probably going to try something...'  
  
The two-toned blue haired teenager looked up with his dark crimson eyes to see the rest of the Blade Breakers walk into the waiting room.  
  
"Hey there, Kai." Tyson gave a short wave then pulled his hand back from the glare that he got. "Okay, fine then! Be that way, you grump."  
  
"Took you all long enough..." Kai muttered, looking out the window behind him.  
  
"I tried to get here as fast as I could..." Max ran a hand through his blond hair, slightly embarrassed. "Some of the flights got delayed because of a really bad thunderstorm back in America..."  
  
"Yeah, give us a break, Kai." Ray watched the Russian blader, noticing his uneasiness. "Even though I was told this was an emergency, I couldn't just leave my home village without saying anything."  
  
There was a silence and Kai looked back at Tyson. "And I suppose you have a lame excuse for being late... Let me guess... You slept in..."'  
  
"Uh..." Tyson scratched the back of his head nervously, a panicky grin on his face. "Well, you see-"  
  
"Save it..." Kai muttered.  
  
"So what's the emergency, Kai? Was Dranzer taken from you?" Kenny asked, holding his laptop in his arms.  
  
"Hn..." Kai closed his eyes. "As if... We have big problems..."  
  
Tyson blinked. "Big problems? Like what? What happened?"  
  
Mr. Dickenson walked into the room from his office. "I'm glad you could all make it, boys. Sorry about the short notice but this is very important."  
  
"It'd help if you told us what's wrong." Tyson said bluntly.  
  
"Well, we had gotten a call from Russia a few days ago and it was from the Demolition Boys. They were asking for Kai." Mr. Dickenson started to explain.  
  
"Wait a minute! Let me get this straight." Tyson interrupted. "Didn't they ask about us?"  
  
"They did right after I questioned about it. Apparently, they want just a friendly rematch and they would be honored if you'd travel to Russia." Mr. Dickenson moved his gaze across the teenagers' faces.  
  
"Am I the only one that finds that suspicious?" Kenny asked, getting slightly nervous.  
  
"Yeah..." Ray thought for a moment. "But since the World Championships a few years ago, maybe they've changed... even a bit..."  
  
"Well, Tala seemed a bit different when we shook hands... Less heartless and whatnot." Tyson thought back to the event. "I think the guy actually changed back there."  
  
"But Tyson, he took our bit beasts..." Max said quietly.  
  
"We got them back, didn't we? Besides, if anything suspicious happens, we can just take them out." Tyson crossed his arms confidently.  
  
Kai simply hmphed and opened his eyes, glowering out the window. He definitely wasn't enthusiastic on going back to Russia. Especially since the abbey was most likely still there with Boris and the Demolition Boys, possibly waiting to strike when the others least expected it.  
  
"This has to be a team agreement..." Kai interrupted the others, quieting them. "We can't just jump forward, expecting for nothing to happen. These are the boys that work for Boris, if you've forgotten..."  
  
"Kai's right." Kenny nodded. "We'd be putting our bit beasts and possibly ourselves at risk if we were hasty."  
  
"Ah, come on! We'll be fine. We'll accept their little invitation, beat them at a match and we'll know if they were going to pull something!" Tyson folded his arms behind his head. "It's as simple as that!"  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Kai questioned, continuing to look out the window.  
  
"Sure I'm sure! We're the world champions, Kai! There's no way that the Demolition Boys can beat us!" Tyson grinned and scratched the back of his head.  
  
"First of all, do we all agree on this? That we're aware on the danger that could happen if Boris is up to his old schemes?" Kai looked across the faces of his team.  
  
"They won't get us twice..." Ray clenched a loose fist.  
  
The rest of the Blade Breakers nodded in agreement, making the decision final.  
  
"Shouldn't we get a little back up just in case?" Kenny suggested.  
  
"Nah, we don't need anyone's help-" Tyson got cut off.  
  
"It's just for a precaution... We can't just go up to the Demolition Boys, expecting just a beybattle and a little chat." Kenny scratched the side of his face semi-nervously. "Truthfully, they give me the creeps..."  
  
"It's not that bad, chief! I've said it once and I'll say it again-"  
  
"Spare us..." Kai growled. "Do us all a favor and shut up for a bit. This isn't some issue with amateur bladers..."  
  
The group fell silent, all watching Kai whose gaze seemed to get more irate and colder.  
  
"We'll contact the Russian team and let them know that you accept their challenge. Your flight will be arranged as soon as possible but boys, I wish you all of luck." Mr. Dickenson turned back towards his office.  
  
"Whoa, hang on! You're not coming with us?" Tyson asked. "Come on, Mister D! It'll be fun to watch!"  
  
"I wish I could but unfortunately, I have an important meeting to attend to dealing with a few minor problems with some of the international BBA offices." Mister Dickenson sighed. "Once it is finished, I'll be sure to contact you all via e-mail. I'm sure Kenny can take care of that."  
  
"You bet, Mister Dickenson!" Kenny nodded, his laptop underneath one arm.  
  
Kai got up from his seat and headed to the door but he felt the weight of someone's hand on his shoulder. "Let go."  
  
"What's wrong, Kai? I mean, you're always serious and all but-" Tyson put his arm back to his side as the team leader continued on his way, walking through the doors.  
  
He blinked, watching the door close with a soft click before readjusting the cap on his head. "What's his problem anyway? He takes things too seriously!"  
  
Back in Russia, Boris stood patiently as he looked down upon the practice room in the depths of the abbey. His arms were crossed over his chest as he narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the two bladers by the stone dish.  
  
"Both of you redo that match again... and this time, don't mess it up..." He barked down form his viewing spot.  
  
Dima ran his bare hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "What more do you want, Boris... We've done this nearly a dozen times..."  
  
The two of them were no longer wearing their armor and were wearing simple old jeans and seemingly faded shirts.  
  
"Do not go against my orders, Dima... Both of you have much to learn... Until you have battled each other and find all of the weaknesses, you can learn from them and have a flawless battle. Those bit beasts are not going to be put to waste if you will do what I say and work until its full potential is reached!" Boris pointed at the stone dish. "Now do it again."  
  
The siblings looked down at their still beyblades in the dish. It wasn't that hard to miss them; they were mostly white but had a few vague steel blue stripes near the bottom. The picked up their beyblades and walked back to their side of the in-ground beydish. As the two were allowed little time to prepare themselves for the next round, Boris looked back slightly at the team behind him.  
  
"After a few more of these tests, I'm assigning you two to one of the siblings. It will be a two on one test and I don't expect any of you to back down or give them any slack. I'll determine how to separate you all a little later..." He looked back at the training room. "They may have experienced physical combat skills but they need more discipline to perfect their techniques..."  
  
The sound of ripcords being pulled through the launchers interrupted any hope of more conversation as all attention was turned to the beybattle below. Both pairs of jade eyes watched the beyblades' movements as accurately as they could, searching for an opening to throw off each other. The beyblades looped in circles near the edges of the stone dish, occasionally whipping down to the center and barely brushing by the other. Dima started to smirk and pointed to his sister's beyblade, being able to tell them apart.  
  
"Attack the left flank!"  
  
His beyblade seemed to whir more loudly to life and it made a sharp turn across the dish, colliding with the other. Sinya grinded her teeth and watched the onslaught on her beyblade as sparks started flying from the bottom of the blade. Truth be told, she was exhausted from the non-stop training with the hand-to-hand combat and the seemingly endless beybattles against her brother. All the tough work was starting to take its toll on her as she desperately tried to find a way to evade the devastating blows.  
  
"Swing back and reverse!"  
  
Her beyblade went on the defensive side as it tore across the stone then made a sharp turn back to counter its brother beyblade. It seemed as if she had the advantage before Dima's beyblade reared back from the attack and slammed right at the other. The beyblades ricocheted off of each other and tore right towards each other again.  
  
"Both of you stop acting like amateur beybladers and fight with your bit beasts! If you want to prove that you have truly worked hard enough to earn them, use what has been given to you!" Boris uncrossed his arms, starting to get irritated with the games.  
  
"My pleasure..." Dima said in a low smooth tone before closing his eyes, his smirk becoming crueler.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking, what are they doing?" Ian asked though it was odd because he rarely spoke.  
  
"Just watch." Boris watched as Dima's beyblade stopped attacking the other and spun in the center of the dish. "Unlike you four, these two do not have the level of concentration that you all possess."  
  
"This is where our skills differentiate, dear sister." Dima opened his eyes before calling forth his bit beast. "Kairume, Attack!"  
  
Sinya took half a step back unintentionally but decided to counter with her own bit beast. "Himara!"  
  
The centerpieces of each of the beyblades started glowing brightly with a harsh blue hue before two bit beasts emerged, looking almost identical. Steel blue fur bristled as two almost bone-chilling howls ripped through the air. The two arctic fox bit beasts growled at each other, bearing their fangs and twitching their long thin ears. It was obvious that Boris had done quite a bit of work on the beasts, since they differed from actual arctic foxes that lived in the north. Tala narrowed his eyes slightly at the twin bit beasts, still not sure whether he was going to use his wolf bit beast or the one that was feared the most.  
  
Not even a few moments after the bit beasts had been summoned, Himara glowed with the same harsh blue before dispersing into small particles and returning to the bit piece. Sinya continued to breathe heavily, her beyblade slowing to a stop and sliding to the center of the beydish as her knees finally gave out. She knew she was in trouble and she tried getting back up. Failure wasn't tolerated at the abbey and her brother was going to get punished for her weaknesses, she just could feel it. If Dima was treated harshly, she was treated worse just so she could match up to their expectations.  
  
"I'm allowing only fifteen minutes for you two to prepare yourselves for another match." Boris was obviously a little ticked off from the weakness that the female abbey-dweller had shown. "Tala and Spencer will have their match with Dima in the next training area while Bryan and Ian will have their match against Sinya. Both will continue until I say otherwise."  
  
Sinya looked at the spinning beyblade in the center of the dish, cursing that she was weaker than her brother. It was her first chance to go in a mission with the Demolition Boys and she was not about to screw up her chance of proving herself. To make it worse, the next round of training was going to be utter hell with the sadistic Bryan and the mostly quiet Ian. Glancing up at the viewing area above, she saw one of her opponents smirking. She narrowed her eyes hatefully at him, watching him walk off out of view. Fifteen minutes was all that she had to be ready for the relentless onslaught of attacks she was going to receive from two members of the Demolition Boys. Failure was not an option.  
  
[It took me quite a while to get my brain into gear so I could write again... Not cool but anyway, I'll try to update this as often as I can before I forget the ideas. Probably missed some spelling as usual...] 


	3. Chapter III Last Minute Plans

Chapter III – Last Minute Plans

[At first, I was gonna name that character Sonya but I didn't like it. I looked up some Russian names and I found Dima and Sinya, and I don't remember what they mean... The spell checker keeps trying to correct it to Sonya xX But I glad you like the fic! Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade]

Sitting patiently in the airport, Kai ignored the seemingly endless chatter from Tyson. Personally, it was starting to get on his nerves that the Dragoon beyblader was being so cocky about the whole situation. Knowing Boris, he wasn't going to let the 'friendly' match with the Blade Breakers and the Demolition Boys go out without a catch.

Ray looked over at Kai, noticing that the other was in deep thought and troubled by something. "You alright, Kai?"

The Russian only answered with a side-glance to the neko-jin, saying nothing in reply. The cold glare that Kai had displayed when he first joined the Blade Breakers had returned and it was making the other uneasy. Sitting in silence, Ray averted his gaze from the other beyblader.

"Flight 515 to Moscow, Russia now boarding." A voice from the intercom announced.

"Well," Tyson said confidently. "That's us!"

The team made their way to Gate Eight, handing their tickets over to a middle-aged woman who stood at the entrance. She inspected the tickets, noting where the team was going.

"Have a nice flight!" She said warmly, smiling at the group of teenagers. "I've heard that Russia is beautiful at this time of year!"

Unknowingly to most, Kai almost cringed at the words. They stung him like needles. It was true that Russia was beautiful for its scenery and architecture... Though that was only a disguise to cover up the horror of the abbey.

"Hey, is any of the food good this time?" Tyson asked. "Last time it was horrible!"

"Let's just go, Tyson!" Groaned Kenny as he pushed the other ahead.

"I was just wondering!" Tyson protested as the team walked through the corridor.

Soon enough, they had made their way into the plane and the first class seating area. There were plenty of seats left and Tyson pounced on the first one he saw.

"Ah, this is the life, man!" He said as he propped his feet up on the opposite seat facing him. "I hope they don't lose our bags."

Kenny calmly sat down in a seat diagonal to the food-obsessed teenager. "I'm sure they won't, Tyson. We should use this time to build up some sort of strategy for the Demolition Boys so we are prepared." He opened his laptop. "If it's a four on four battle then I guess you guys should pick your opponents wisely."

"I can take on Tala, no problem!" Tyson grinned, folding his arms behind his head.

Max sat down beside his best friend. "You know, Tyson, you might not get that choice."

"Max is right. You may get Spencer, Ian or even Bryan as your opponent! While we're traveling over to Russia, we're going to analyze the data that we have of them and make sure we know what we are doing!"

"Ah, come on, chief! I've said it so many times! Go to Russia, beat that team, claim victory and be home in time for dinner! Speaking of dinner, where's the chow?" Tyson sat up, looking over his seat for any sign of the stewardess.

"We haven't even taken off yet! How can you be hungry already?" Max asked skeptically.

While the three continued to talk, the remaining members of the team sat in a group of seats behind Kenny. Kai sat with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes burning with hate. He was returning to the country where he had spent all of his childhood and it was not a happy one. There were still a few memories that were repressed but he assumed that it was going to be just as cheery as time he reentered the abbey for the first time since then.

"Kai... Do you think this really was a good idea...?" Ray asked quietly, dropping his voice so the others didn't listen in. "I know it might be a rematch... But I don't think they've changed..."

Once again, Kai stayed silent in front of the Chinese teenager. The neko-jin sighed and looked out the window beside him. He wasn't completely surprised that the Russian blader seemed to ignore his questions... In fact, it was the normal line for him. He didn't know what Kai was thinking but made a guess it was about returning to Russia.

"This is your pilot speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts during the take-off. Afterwards, you may remove them but remember, they must be redone as we land in Russia." The intercom clicked off.

The plane was moved onto its proper runway and large engines roared to life as the pilots started flipping switches and made last minute checks on the gauges. Soon, the aircraft was traveling along its paved path and was lifted into the air, flying into the darkening horizon.

--

"You either take in the both of us or you're missing out, old man!" A younger Dima yelled at the leader of the abbey. "We're not just some amateurs, we've been training to even get here!"

Boris didn't look amused as he looked down upon the childish argument the boy was bringing up. "We only select children according to our guidelines... We do not simply just let any brat join the abbey upon choice!"

Sinya stood quietly, pulling up the collar of her jacket as she trailed her gaze around the abbey's courtyard. It was littered with light snow that had yet to be cleared and the outdoor walkways seemed to have a dreary and mysterious darkness to them.

"Oh come on!" The blond boy snapped. "Anything I can do with beyblading, my sister can match to the spot! You can't just tell us to go away! Or are you afraid that we might beat some of your students?"

An eerie silence washed over the courtyard as a frigid wind blew by, picking up some of the freshly fallen snowflakes and whipping them about. Sinya looked over at her brother, seeing the cocky smirk on his face had returned and giving the man the most defiant glare he could muster. She felt a pair of eyes on her and she moved her gaze to Boris, finding him watching. Narrowing her eyes, she shot the man the same glare just as harshly as her brother, not wanting to look weak.

--

A loud slam of the door jolted the teenager awake and she looked over her shoulder, finding her brother there with Ian standing in the doorway. Sinya sat up slowly and flinched, shutting her eyes tightly. Since Boris had assigned 'training partners' to each of the siblings days ago, Bryan was more than glad to wreak bitter blows upon her body and claiming he was only following orders. He possessed the perfect torture device, masked in a spinning top containing a powerful bit beast. The invisible blades of wind, which tore through clothing and nicked the skin, were only one of the things that many feared inside the abbey walls.

"You don't need to stay here," Dima growled at Ian, shooting him a glare. "We'll be out in the courtyard in a few minutes..."

Ian nodded silently and walked down the hallway to join the rest of his teammates, the other's glare hard on his back until he rounded a corner. When the other was out of sight, Dima stepped into their room and shut the door, looking none too happy.

"What time is it..." Sinya rubbed her eyes, her voice sounding more pitiful from sleep.

"You missed breakfast... Not like it was anything new... Same old..." The other explained, looking off to one of the stonewalls. "I didn't bother waking you up because you needed the rest. Boris shouldn't find out as long as you keep quiet, though if he does figure out he'll probably wouldn't care."

"He can probably hear you..."

"Yeah, so what? He has a camera in every corner... I couldn't care less what he hears or sees." Dima said smugly. "Besides, the plane is arriving at the airport soon and we have the pleasure of meeting the 'great' Hiwatari once again... Tch..."

Sinya pursed her lips slightly, looking at her bare feet on the floor. Mainly Boris, the Demolition Boys and her brother were getting riled up upon the invited return of the abbey 'prodigy'.

"You know what we have to do, right? I don't need to explain it again?" Dima asked, looking at his sibling.

"Yes, I know. How are we supposed to hide... those..." Sinya looked over at the metal gantlets, boots and masks that were resting on a wooden table.

The other closed his eyes and rested the back of his head against the wooden door. "We don't go in the airport but the others do. For now, Boris said not to bother with those because it will rouse too much suspicion... Hmph! He just doesn't want to be on the edge of things... Either way, while the 'boys' are waiting for that ungrateful bastard and his team, we'll have to be quick and grab something to eat. Don't think you can do any damage on an empty stomach."

The other nodded firmly and got up, grabbing her day clothes from the edge of the bed. Anyone who slept in the training attire knew that it wasn't too glorious or comfortable.

"And another thing." Dima's voice turned even more serious. "Keep your head up. You've slipped a few times during training and that's bad news for the both of us... Don't go hitting anyone here and I won't, no matter how bad we want to. We can't mess this up now. If anything, we'll take it out on that ungrateful Hiwatari and his little friends... Now hurry it up before they start heckling at us again."

The teenaged boy left the room, leaving the other to get dressed. He walked down the hallway for a moment then stopped, thinking for a minute. Instead of taking the stairs to the main floor, he turned and ran back down the hallway towards where Boris had dismissed them. As he expected, the abbey leader was still there.

"Is there something you want..." Boris asked, not looking behind his shoulder.

"Why are you making this 'invitation' so simple?" Dima demanded, walking forward. "My sister and I agreed to beybattle when necessary but you also said we would need our equipment."

"That is true but if we move too quickly, the plan will fall apart. We've been over this, Dima."

"I have an idea that will surely make it that more interesting, Boris... Would you care to hear about it?" A smirk appeared on the teenager's lips as he folded his arms over his chest. "Trust me, it will hit Hiwatari and the rest of them much harder than your first idea..."

Not even five minutes later, the Russian boy was running down the hallway, looking extremely pleased with himself. He burst back into their dorm and looked at his sibling triumphantly.

"Leave your shoes, we won't be needing them... Boris has changed his mind..."

Sinya looked at him for a moment before nodding and grabbing a few loose rolls of bandages. She sat on the edge of the bed and started wrapping then around her foot, ankle and up to her knee. The two of them did that until their shins and most of their arms, to their elbows, were bandaged then they put on their 'armor'.

Outside in the courtyard, the Demolition Boys waited silently and were kept waiting. Tala was leaning against the wall of the abbey, his arms folded over his chest and his eyes closed calmly. He was just about ready to send Ian back inside the abbey to see if the other two were ready but a creaking of a door interrupted his thoughts. Opening his icy eyes, he side-glanced at the two teenagers making their way across the stone walkway. He noticed the gauntlets and narrowed his eyes slightly at the two.

"Boris told you two not to bring your... toys..." Tala said firmly.

"Well Boris had a change of heart..." Dima said in a smug tone. "Pleasantries aren't needed with Hiwatari... Get straight to the point."

"I'm surprised you decided to get out of bed at all." Bryan remarked, smirking cruelly at the Russian girl.

Sinya ignored the other and lightly pressed the metal mask on her face while she used her other hand to snap the clasps together. "There's been a slight change in plans. You four will meet the Blade Breakers team at the airport when they get here-"

"That was part of the plan in the first place." Bryan snapped.

"I'm not finished. Beybattling is only needed when necessary... Though we'll hit them where it hurts." Sinya finished, folding her arms.

"You four do whatever the hell you want, just don't get in our way when it's our turn to make a move." Dima stated, almost taunting the others.

"Why you!" Spencer growled and took a step forward but Tala put an arm out between them.

"Don't. It's not worth it." He said, watching the twins walk off towards the main gate of the abbey. "They're just doing that to get under our skin. We'll do our part and they better do theirs. Nothing more, nothing less."

[The upcoming chapters are when the real fun begins. Mwahaha. Anyways, tried not to rush the story and whatnot. I'm as anxious as hell to work on the next chapter so that's what I'm gonna try to do right now... or soon. Anyway, my newer acquaintance 'SK' read over this because I'm a moron when it comes to catching hidden spelling errors. So... uh, thanks to him, I'm posting this now!]


	4. Chapter IV Bloody Welcome

Chapter IV – Bloody Welcome

(And now the fun begins. Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.)

The Blade Breakers had finally arrived in Russia and were looking for the home team that had invited them over in the first place. Tyson glanced around, a hand above his eyes to 'shield' them from the ceiling lights as he tried to get a glimpse of anything close to the Demolition Boys.

"What's the point in inviting us all the way here if they don't bother to show up on time?" He complained, putting his hands on his hips and looked a tad peeved.

"I thought you were going to complain that you were hungry again." Ray joked.

"You know, thanks for reminding me. That was the next thing on my list." Tyson pointed out, grinning widely.

"Perhaps they're running late?" Kenny suggested, looking up from his laptop.

"Hey, Tyson! Cut it out!" Max looked just about ready to jump up to the other. "I don't think that's a good idea!"

Tyson had put a suitcase on its shortest face and stood on top of it, getting a better view over the people who were walking about the airport. "Don't worry about it! It's easier to see Tala and the others that way-Hey! Whoa!"

Of course, the blue-haired teenager leaned too far and managed to lose his balance, ending up sprawled out on the airport floor. Kai was leaning against a wall, paying little attention to the antics of his teammates and kept his mind preoccupied with the more pressing matters. Narrowing his eyes, he caught the glimpse of the other team walking down the long hallway. He almost growled low in his throat, as the team got closer. It didn't look like they had changed much and Kai was not about to drop his guard for anything.

Tyson finally sat up, rubbing his forehead and looked up when he heard someone talking. "Need any help?"

A wide grin appeared on the Blade Breaker's face as the other helped him up. "Heya, Tala! It's been a while since we've seen or heard from you guys!"

"Likewise," Tala answered with a small smile but was still burdened with what was yet to happen. "Shall we go?"

"You bet!"

Ray caught Bryan's glance and politely yet barely greeted him. "Bryan."

"Ray." The other answered with the same courtesy and couldn't help the small smirk on his face.

There would have been thick silence between the two teams if it weren't for Tyson's chatter about previous tournaments they had been in and other such topics. The two teams left the airport, mostly quiet and tense. The Demolition Boys were as social as usual and it was no surprise since the Blade Breakers didn't expect much of anything else.

"If it alright with your team, we decided to hold the beybattle in a few days. It would be rude to ask you to beyblade right away since you just arrived. It will give you guys some time to settle in and take a look around." Tala explained as they neared a hotel.

"Hey, that's great! We didn't get much time to look around last time we were here." Tyson exclaimed.

Kai tensed up more, if possible, shooting a burning glare at his teammate's back. 'How cocky is he... It's not like any of us can forget what the hell happened here... That idiot...'

"Tyson." The said person looked back to see who called him.

"Yeah?" He blinked, looking at captain of the Blade Breakers.

Rethinking his decision, Kai found it pointless to tell the other to keep his guard up and he merely shook his head, remaining silent. Something wasn't right and it was becoming more apparent with each passing moment. They entered the hotel and Kenny and Max checked in at the front desk while the others waited in the lobby. Three of the Demolition Boys left and knew that Kai was watching them intently and with all the suspicion possible.

"Where are they going?" Tyson asked, looking past Tala. "I haven't heard any of them put a sentence together since we got here!"

Tala merely shrugged, glancing back out of the corner of his eye. "They are really not... used to being as social as your team..."

"Still? Hell, we thought you guys were gonna go nuts again with all that world domination stuff." Tyson said, folding his arms behind his head.

"That's all in the past now." Tala answered carefully, knowing it was partially true. "I'll come back in half an hour to check on you guys. Perhaps we can take a walking tour around the immediate area?"

"What do you guys think?" Tyson looked back at the rest of his team. "You up to it?"

"Sure!" Max regained his cheerful mood but kept a cautious thought at the back of his mind. "Sounds fun."

"I think I'll stay here and e-mail Mr. Dickenson to tell him we got here. That and I just want to make sure your beyblades won't malfunction in the beybattles." Kenny admitted.

"I think I might take a short nap. I couldn't really sleep on the plane that much with Tyson talking non-stop." Ray grinned slightly from the protest from his teammate.

"Hey!" Tyson slightly pouted, looking offended before he turned to the last member of the team. "What about you, Kai?"

"Whatever..." That was an expected reply after knowing the Russian for years.

"Good enough for me! We'll meet in the lobby in half an hour?" Tyson looked back at the other.

Tala nodded before he turned to leave. "Seems appropriate. I hope you all enjoy your stay here."

When he left, Tyson turned back to his team and the cheerful grin was still there. "See? I told you he's changed! Can't really say the same about the others... They're about as talkative as a brick wall... But this turned out better than I thought!"

"Yeah, I guess." Max agreed.

"Then there's nothing to worry about!"

'Easier said than done...' Ray thought, glancing at the Russian on their team. 'He seems really uptight about this whole situation...'

The team took their bags, making their way over to their designated rooms on the second floor and divided their team in their usual sleeping arrangements. Kai and Ray were in one room and that left the other three to the room across from theirs. Tyson dropped his bag on the bed and jumped on it.

"Hey, Chief. Who'd you ask as back-up?" He asked, looking at the other upside-down as he lay across the bed. "Not like we need it or anything."

"I e-mailed the Majestics since they are closer than some of the other teams and easier to contact." Kenny said as he opened his laptop. "I'm not sure if all of them are going to show up but they should be here later tonight."

"You sure this place isn't too low-class for them? They might expect everyone here to wait on them hand and foot." Tyson scoffed, folding his arms.

"Come on, Tyson. You know they're at least a bit better than that. Though a few of them are a bit ruder than Oliver and Enrique but that doesn't change anything right now. We're not sure whether the Demolition Boys are going to try anything so you can't just take this in stride." Kenny started typing at the laptop, writing the e-mail to the chairman of the BBA.

"I was just kidding... Sort of, anyway." The dragoon beyblader sat back up, picking up a pillow before throwing it at another one of his teammates. "Heads up, Maxie!"

"Hey!" The bubbly blonde threw the pillow back and the two ended up starting a pillow war.

It continued for a good few minutes until they grew tired of the little game and decided to spare the pillows any more abuse. That and Kenny was having more than enough trouble typing up his e-mail without narrowly dodging stray pillow war ammunition. Soon enough, thirty minutes had passed and most of the team made their way downstairs to the lobby of the hotel. The team leader of the Demolition Boys was waiting for them, his arms folded neatly over his chest and his icy eyes watching them carefully.

"We're not late, are we?" Tyson asked.

"Of course not." Tala reassured the small group. "There's plenty of time. Shall we go?"

The group of beybladers left the hotel, walking along the streets closer to a snow-covered park. Kai glanced around with his eyes, his gaze narrowing slightly as he noticed that not too many people were outside. It was approaching the evening hours but he grew more and more suspicious with each passing moment. He tuned out the chatter of his teammates and carefully watched for anything that moved. He heard a branch snap and stopped walking, glowering at the place where the sound came from. A small squirrel ran across the pathway but such a small animal couldn't make that much noise...

Tala looked back out of the corner of his eye at the other Russian. 'Bryan and the others went back to the abbey... The other two are already making a mess out of this...'

The armed twins were hiding behind the fountain in the park and Dima sharply hit his sibling across the head.

"Watch where you're walking! You're going to give us away!" He hissed at her, turning his gaze back to the suspicious Kai. "He already knows something is going on and we're this close to screwing it up... Wait until the other two get close enough..."

"I don't completely understand what they're saying..." Sinya said quietly. "What language are they speaking in?"

"It doesn't matter! Be quiet!"

Tala stopped the miniature walking tour and looked back to see the other two having a snowball fight. He merely crossed his arms and watched quietly before shifting his eyes back to Kai, meeting the other's gaze. He smirked at the other slightly but with all the knowing intention in the world. Kai visibly tensed, his glare intensifying before folding his arms across his chest and muttering curses in Russian. Max and Tyson continued with the snowball fight, running around the park near the other two. Max ran around the large fountain and slipped slightly on some black ice before his eyes met the jade gazes that watched him intently. Confusion appeared on his face before an extremely pained expression flashed on his features as a metal-clad foot brutally hit his stomach.

"Max!"

The attacker stood up and landed another strong kick into the other's stomach, her eyes watching the boy intently as he fell back. Max grabbed his stomach in his pain; his eyes squeezed shut as he felt the shadow of someone running over him to the other side of the fountain. He struggled to regain his breath as he cracked an eye open a bit, his heart nearly leaping into this throat as he saw a metal hand near his face.

"What's going on?! Who are you?" Tyson yelled, taking a step back as the second attacker started walking towards him.

A splash interrupted Tyson's thoughts as he caught a glimpse of Max just before the blond hit the cold and shallow water of the fountain. Max struggled up from the water, gripping the stone edges before pulling himself up shakily, not wanting to stay in the chilling pond. He made a slight choking sound before almost forcing a few coughs as some blood sprayed onto the light layer of snow. Kai ran over, half turning swiftly to avoid a punch then he swung his fist over, striking Sinya in the face, right above the metal mask.

"I knew it..." Kai scowled, watching the other stumble back a few steps from being stunned.

He made his way back to Max and helped him out of the freezing water, sitting the blond against a nearby stone bench before giving him his own coat. Kai stood back up, somewhat used to the cold for the moment as he glared hatefully at Tala and the two that had attacked his teammates. Tyson ran over to Max's side and continued asking if he was all right, partly hearing the conversation between the four Russians.

"Surprised, Kai?" Tala asked calmly.

"No, not really." Kai shot back. "Did Boris get sick of the four of you failing miserably? Maybe that's why there are others to do his dirty work...."

Looking out of the corner of his eye, he heard the blond attackers shuffle their feet on the icy ground slightly.

"This is not just for fun. The beybattle is going to be held within a few days..." Tala said casually, a little irritated that Boris wanted Kai to return to the abbey to hold up his prodigy title. "I'm sure you'll find this location fitting, Kai... I know you remember that frozen lake where you summoned up your former team a few years ago..."

"Tala!" Tyson jumped up, glaring at the redhead. "How could you do this? You changed for the best last time I fought you!"

"Wrong."

"What!?"

"If you still don't understand, I would advise you to be quiet, Tyson. This doesn't concern you." The captain of the Russian team declared.

"The hell it doesn't!"

"Care to humor me?" Words as icy as the air itself cast the area into silence.

Kai narrowed his eyes slightly as he made eye contact with one of the blond assailants, having a feeling that he met him somewhere before. Then three words reminded him of exactly who it was...

"You're mine, Hiwatari."

"... Dima." Kai growled out the name. "I should have known that you'd be having a ball with this...."

"It's only going to get better, trust me... You may have beaten me in the past just because you were 'special'. This time you're not going to be so lucky." Dima explained smugly as his jade eyes almost flashed with malice and he crouched down slightly. "I don't care what Boris says... The abbey doesn't need you... The Demolition Boys don't need you... So you're only a discarded pawn..."

Scowling once again, Kai heard the two assailants run towards him from different directions. Sinya glanced to the side slightly as Tyson went to stop her and she sharply thrust the bottom of the palm of her hand into his chest, driving him back slightly as she continued running for the target. Max winced as he started getting up, watching the scene before he summoned up all his strength to help out.

"Kai, watch out!" The said person locked one hand with the frontal attacker, the other hand held up in case the other decided to strike his face.

"Max, don't!" Tyson yelled as he stumbled over to stop his friend.

The next moment passed painfully slow as Kai was locked in a one-handed mercy fight with Dima but he felt a weight on his back and could swear that he heard a sickening crack. He looked over his shoulder slightly and his eyes widened as he saw Max wince painfully and he saw why. Sinya had ducked down and had a strong punch aimed for his back but Max had managed to make his way there and intercept it... catching the blow in his chest. Dima's free hand had shot past Kai's head and the metal claws of the gauntlets had pierced and ripped through the clothing and skin of Max's shoulder.

Sinya looked up, wondering why the other had done such a stupid thing then the other made another strangled cough, the blood hitting her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, the warm blood dripping down to her eyes as she pushed Max away and proceeded to stumble back.

As Max fell onto the pathway, Kai shifted his weight and pushed back at Dima, throwing him off balance. His blood felt like it was starting to boil as the other leaped back a bit and took off the metal mask.

Dima smirked coolly as he brought up the hand that had the blood on it and licked some of it off, enjoying the reaction of Tyson and the infuriation of Kai. "Not bad..."

"You're sick!" Tyson yelled as he tried to tend to the fallen boy.

"Here's the deal, Hiwatari... You've got until sundown to return to the abbey and remain there or I'll put it this way... Next time, I'll personally see to it that one of you is dead." Dima smirked more.

Tala glanced to the side slightly, taking note of how close the entrance of the park was to the street, his voice held the utmost authority and iciness. "They get the point. Dima, Sinya, get moving. Now."

"... I'm c-cold..." Max said in a small voice, his body wracked with shivers from the wintry air and the pain throughout his body. "I... I can't feel my feet..."

"Max, hang on!" Tyson said before looking up at the captain of their team. "Don't just stand there, Kai! We have to help him!"

Kai turned his back on the fleeing Russians and vaguely assessed the damage done to the two then he looked his right hand, seeing that the top of his hand was bleeding from the sharp fingertips of Dima's gauntlets.... Max let out a few more strangled coughs as blood dripped down the side of his mouth and down to the cold ground.

When the help that Kai called for by a nearby phone had arrived, Max had already slipped unconscious. He didn't hear Tyson say that help was coming, he didn't feel the slap on his face that was supposed to jerk him awake... He could only feel the mind-numbing pain and the frigid air that bit at his face. Soaking wet and cold, he was trapped in darkness, in pain, and alone.

(... I just had to add that last line, you know? Anyway! I haven't written anything in so long, tis ridiculous! There's probably a bunch of typos but unlike last time, I'm actually typing a bit of the next chapter now Oo; It doesn't mean that I'm going to post it any time soon... got all that stupid school stuff and the basketball season is only halfway through... Stupid practices... Anywho, I'll probably fix up the typos another time when my brain isn't so dead from a stupid basketball tournament. Hope this made up for the wait oO; )


	5. Chapter V Suspicion

Chapter V – Torture

(Sometimes I want to write but then I can't get the right words I want to put down. Tis so irritating. And I just finished watching Beyblade G-Revolution… I have a story planned after this one but I have to finish it… Time to write! Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.)

The waiting room of the hospital was never a nice place to be in. The uncomfortable chairs, the excruciating wait that seemed to stretch for hours and the doctors and nurses that walked by from time to time, holding clipboards. Growling in frustration, Kai Hiwatari sat in the hospital chair, his elbows propped up on his knees with his fingers interlaced together as his chin rested on his thumbs. He stole a glance at his bandaged hand, his eyes narrowing slightly as his mind debated over what he should do. He had been sitting in the waiting room for just about an hour and his dwindling patience was thinning out even more. There had been no word from any medical personnel about Max's condition and things were looking grim as a slight pain shot through Kai's hand when he clenched it.

"What's taking them?" Tyson fretted as he paced across the room, having grown tired of sitting.

Kai closed his eyes, a dark eyebrow twitching slightly in anger as he continued to stay silent. Just thinking about what happened in the park made his blood boil and his temper flare as the grip on his hands increased more, causing a faint pop of his knuckles to be heard by anyone nearby.

Ray watched the other with concern then looked over at Tyson. "It takes time. Besides, pacing around isn't going to help anything. Just sit down."

"I'm tired of sitting around and waiting!" Tyson stopped pacing and looked down one of the white hallways. "It's been at least an hour since we all got here, maybe even more! They should have at least said something by now!"

After a moment of silence, he grumbled and sat back down in one of the chairs none too gracefully. A few more agonizing minutes passed and a nurse stepped in, holding a clipboard at her side.

She timidly looked around the room with her hazel eyes then glanced at the clipboard before hugging it to her chest. "Uhm…._ Izvinichye…_" She paused for a moment, thinking of the right words she was supposed to say, only knowing Russian. "_Are you the ones who have been waiting here for that young man that had been brought in here_?"

Kai opened his eyes, glancing at the nurse as he spoke in quiet Russian as well. "_Da…_"

The others looked up at the nurse then over to Kai.

She shifted her gaze to Kai, growing more nervous from the harsh glare that seemed to be emanating from the other. "_Do they not understand Russian_?"

"_Nyet. They are not from around here. Please get to the point._" Kai said gravely.

"_Kanyeshna…_" She said quietly, bowing her head in apology. "_The young man's injuries are extensive. Mostly in his chest area and that is but one of the reasons it had taken this long to tell you. He has stitches on his forehead and shoulder, and he has suffered a severe concussion as well with his body temperature lower than the normal. His name is Max, is it not_?"

Kai nodded once, listening to every detail that the other explained. Tyson was about to ask something but the Russian boy snapped up his hand, asking for silence and the other complied reluctantly.

The nurse sighed and glanced down and to the side slightly. "_There are at least two ribs broken and he had to be operated on right away. If we did not go through with the operation, the broken ribs may have punctured his lungs and possibly his heart. He is currently hooked up to machines to monitor his vital signs and… he is hooked up to a breathing apparatus. He his barely breathing on his own and we have reached the conclusion that the young man has slipped in a deep coma._"

Kai nearly flinched from the last few sentences and lowered his hand, interlacing his fingers again before saying a barely audible thanks as he closed his eyes in thought. The nurse nodded and started to leave the waiting room before she thought of something.

"_If you wish to see him, you may in a few minutes. Only two at a time._" She said quietly before she left, heading towards the nurses' station.

"…What's the news, Kai?" Tyson asked.

Kai shook his head slowly, staying silent as he refused to look at the rest of his team.

"He's not…. Is he?"

"No but he may as well be." Kai stated coldly.

"… What do you mean, Kai?" Ray asked cautiously.

"Why don't you see for yourself…" The Russian got up from his seat and left the room.

The remainder of the team exchanged glances with each other before following him to where he was asking the nurses' station for Max's room number. A short walk later, the team had arrived to the room that Max was held in and two of them walked in.

"… Max?" Tyson said as he hesitantly made his way over to the bedside. "Can you hear me, buddy?"

One of the monitors displayed the pulse of the American boy in slow and steady intervals and it beeped each time it recorded a beat. A few numbers changed only slightly but they seemed relatively low for anyone's comfort as the sound of even breathing from another machine through the breathing tube created a more uncomfortable atmosphere. A thin white sheet covered most of Max's lower body and there were many cloth bandages wrapped around his chest and ribs area, a large bruise forming on his stomach. Kai narrowed his eyes slightly, eyeing the stitches and bruises on the other's unnaturally pale face.

'_This is your fault…'_ A voice sounded in Kai's mind. '_He may as well be dead…'_

"Those bastards…" Tyson said quietly as he clenched a fist. "How could they do something like this…"

'_You could have stopped it but you didn't._ Kai shut his eyes, self-resentment angering him even more. _Now he's going to die. Hell, he could be dead now.'_

Clenching his injured fist tightly, Kai punched the wall he was leaning on, resting his forehead on it as he looked at the slowly increasing red mark soaking through the bandages. He was more furious with Boris' twisted games and with himself. He continued questioning himself why he didn't do more than he knew someone was behind him.

"Don't touch me, Ray. Don't say anything." He growled out threateningly in a warning, knowing who it was.

'Boris has gone too far with his sick and twisted games…' 

Back in the depths of the abbey, Boris was mostly pleased of the report he got from Tala. He smirked and leaned back in his chair, planning out what he was going to do once the infamous Kai returned to the abbey for good. Everything was going like clockwork and the leader of the abbey couldn't have been more satisfied.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and a man in a lab coat stepped in. "I have the file of the recent experiment."

Tala glanced back slightly, still not dismissed from the room and his icy eyes watched the man walk across the room and hand over a folder to Boris. The scientist had long raven hair that was tied in a low ponytail and had abnormally piercing green eyes that seemed to make a lot of the younger abbey dwellers nervous. There were rumors about that one man; about his little… _experiments_. Little was known about him except that he was from Japan and was perhaps too smart for his own good. Tala's eyes narrowed slightly when the scientist looked back at him, not liking the way the glance hid any mysterious intentions that the dark-haired man had.

"It has taken some time but we have finally managed to isolate the proper compounds of the substance and it is ready for human testing." The scientist explained. "By the results with the lab rats, it should increase the subject's stamina and allow them to use the full potential of their bodies to a good extent. We know of no side effects so far but with your permission, sir, we would like to start the human testing soon."

"Good…" Boris glanced up slightly at the captain of the Russian team. "You may go, Tala."

Tala nodded and calmly left the room, starting to get a bit suspicious of what was going on. He closed the door behind him, pausing for a moment to listen to a few more words before he walked down one of the dark hallways, passing one of the guards. Something just seemed… strange. He headed to the roof of the abbey and leaned on the wall, looking down at the younger abbey dwellers train in the courtyard. It was the same thing each day for the subordinates of the Demolition Boys: Wake up before sunrise, train all day, sent to bed just after dusk until the next day when the cycle would start all over again.

Tala glanced up at the clouds looming on the fiery horizon. 'Another snow storm…'

He set his hand on the pocket of his pants and reached in, bringing out his Wolborg beyblade. He had yet to make a final decision of which one he was going to use, despite Boris' recommendations, or orders rather. His mind then wandered over to what the leader of the abbey and one of the many scientists had been talking about when he was still in the room. With many questions still lingering, Tala headed back inside the abbey, only to hear some commotion down the stairs. Pocketing the beyblade, he walked to where he thought the noise was coming from and found some of the younger abbey dwellers crowded by around the doorways.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tala asked sharply, watching at least half of the boys jump.

They looked back at their superior and backed up into the walls, clearing a path for him as they watched him almost fearfully. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he walked past the group, hearing them shuffle to crowd the doorway again. In the room, he saw Bryan looking as angry as ever, with fresh claw marks across his cheek. Sinya glared back and clenched the hand that had the metal gauntlet on as she sported a black eye.

"What's going on?" Tala asked, looking between the two.

"I should kill you…" Bryan spat out, pointedly ignoring his team captain.

Sinya growled. "You'd like that, wouldn't you… I'd like to see you damned well try, you asshole!"

One of the younger abbey dwellers spoke up from the group. "She started it!"

"Yeah! I saw it too! She wasn't listening and then she slapped him!"

The Russian girl glared at the group of boys, knowing what they said wasn't true… entirely. She _did_ hit Bryan and it wasn't like she was _ignoring_ the lilac-haired boy, it was just that she didn't _care_ what he was saying. With another growl, she grabbed her other metal gauntlet and put it on her other hand. Not looking at the others, she walked past Bryan and was not even a step or two away before she swung a punch and hit him in the jaw. The result was a violent brawl between the two and seemed to stop when Bryan had a vice-like grip on the other's throat.

"You're going to wish you were never born, you good for nothing bitch!" Bryan growled.

Sinya had her hands around the other's wrist and tried to get him to let go as she winced. Unable to accomplish that, she started to feel a slight tinge of fear as she was roughly driven back into a wall, the grip never loosening; only becoming tighter. Maybe she had pushed things a little too far…

"I'm only going to say this once…" Bryan's voice pitched down to an acidic and dangerous whisper. "If things were going my way, you'd be dead by now… A slow and painful death… And one day _soon_ you're fucking luck is going to run out and your brother nor anyone else is going to be able to save you…"

Tala watched his teammate evenly as the other left the room, obviously still in a foul mood. The group of boys that were gathered before quickly scattered off before they got into even more trouble for loitering and doing nothing. The captain of the Demolition Boys glanced over his shoulder slightly , starting to wonder what exactly was going on.

"Get back to training, Sinya. Now."

The Russian girl looked up sharply at her superior, grinding her teeth slightly from being spoken down to but very reluctantly complied. Picking herself up from the ground, she strode past Tala and kept her eyes downcast.

"You turned out to be an extraordinary leader." A smooth voice said from around the corner.

"Who's there?" Tala asked suspiciously, not liking the familiar tone of voice.

"Now, now… Don't sound so rude." The scientist, previously in Boris' office, stepped out from around the corner and smiled coolly at the other. "You seem a little bothered…"

Tala eyed the scientist with distrust, wanting to know what the other wanted and why he was looking for him.

"Is it because of Hiwatari-kun returning? Do I sense a hint of jealousy towards him? Or maybe you fear of being replaced by your better…" The scientist raised an eyebrow in question.

Tala narrowed his eyes slightly, his silence continuing as he refused to answer the man. He didn't trust him at all.

"Cat got your tongue?" The scientist cocked his head to the side slightly. "Or are you just ignoring me, young one…"

"Don't you have some experiment to do…" Tala's words carried an icy edge and seemed more of a statement rather than a question.

"My, my… Haven't we gotten rude. I haven't done anything to you, dear boy…" The cool smirk returned again. "At least not yet…"

With a lazy wave of his hand, the scientist turned and walked down the hallway he came from, feeling Tala's almost curious and guarded gaze on his back.

'What does he mean by 'not yet'…' Tala's mind ran over that question numerous times and he was already wary of how the abbey superiors were acting. Whatever was being planned, it may have been on a worse scale than the World Championships a few years ago…

(Okie dokie, now for the Russian words. I'm sorry if they're not accurate but I tried looking a few up: Izvinichye would mean 'excuse me' or 'sorry', Da would mean 'yes', Nyet would mean 'no', Kanyeshna would mean 'Of course'. Now if these are the wrong words, please correct me xX Sinya, Dima and their bit beasts are my characters and the scientist belongs to my very good roleplay friend Flare xD We finally thought of a name for him after weeks on end…I finally wrote! Holy hell! Oo;; This chapter sucks! Time to work on something else **Little edit thing:** Nyet, not niet … Thanks for the correction! I'm such a moron!)


	6. Chapter VI Narcissistic Irony

Chapter VI – Narcissistic Irony

(Ha! Sort of back to writing! … Not really but still. Oh, and you're right, I forgot to explain the italics oO;; When the nurse and Kai are speaking, they are speaking in Russian. I guess I'll do that when other characters don't speak it to create some sort of language barrier, I don't know. The other italics are… uh… Kai's troubled mind! Yeah, that's it! Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.)

Sitting on a bench outside of the hospital, the Hiwatari heir continued to think to himself silently. Refusing to speak to others, or acknowledge their existence, his past had caught up with him once again and he was more than sick of hearing about the likes of Boris and his warped, very twisted, ideals. He was faced with the decision of abandoning his teammates again, just as he had done in the past, only this time Boris seemed to have more control. If Boris was back on his feet from the previous big loss, there was no doubt that Voltaire was in on it as well. That thought made the crimson-eyed teenager growl slightly. He had enough. The abbey was almost the equivalent of hell and they wanted Kai back.

The teenager raised his gaze to the darkening sky, noticing that night was approaching fast and there seemed to be more clouds than usual. He continued to idly look at the sky, seeing small white dots seeming to appear and slowly fall from the clouds.

'Snow.' He noted, temporarily letting his troubling thoughts idle.

He continued to watch the slow and carefree descent of the snow, appearing to pay no mind to the cold or the increasing amount of clouds that seemed to create a curtain of darkening gray in the sky. The snow fell nonstop, eventually making it to the ground and rooftops of buildings and Kai heard the sliding doors from the hospital whoosh open then close again.

"Kai?" It was Tyson, no doubt about it.

The Russian paid no attention to his teammate, not even glancing at him to say that he acknowledged his presence. The snowfall seemed to increase a bit as the silence created a thick blanket between the two, as the snow would do later on.

"Kai." Tyson paused for a moment before speaking with some seriousness. "You're not really going to go to them, are you?"

Silence. The Japanese teenager folded his arms, continuing to watch his team captain and waiting for an answer.

"Are you even listening to me?" The navy-haired teen asked yet another question, demanding for attention. "Kai!"

The older of the two got up from his seat, the jacket still open and his decision was made. "I'm going to finish this once and for all on my own. I don't need help from any of you."

"What?" Tyson blinked then his confused gaze turned into a glare. "You can't! Kai, it's dangerous! You can't just ditch us again!"

"You wanted an answer and I gave it to you, Tyson. This is none of your business and it doesn't concern any of you. You just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." Kai said frostily, his eyes forward and refusing to look at his teammate.

For the moment, Tyson was speechless. He didn't know what to say to counter the icy remark that was shot at him so bitterly. He clenched a fist tightly before uncrossing his arms and pointing at the Russian blader.

"How can you do this to us again, Kai!" He accused. "Last time, we didn't think you were going to come back! And back at that lake! You remember, don't you! You were going to stand there and let yourself freeze to death and die!"

Crimson eyes narrowed slightly as a chilled breeze blew past, pushing the snowflakes along. That was one particular memory where he showed utter weakness. The ice he stood on broken away from the rest, sinking from his weight and the frigid water that was pooled at his ankles, rising as the seconds ticked away. The yells and cries from his teammates to take their hands and to get out of harm's way before the horrific event went through.

'_Weakness_.' Kai's mind thought resentfully.

That day was still fresh in his mind. He had lost to his teammates that he was determined to defeat with the power he gained. It wasn't enough. It was never enough. Never…

Tyson looked at the other, seeing something wrong. "Kai…?"

The Russian was holding up one of his hands and looking at it with darkened eyes. His reason for returning to the abbey to settle the score was uncertain: Was it to rid himself of the horrible memories of the absolute torture and controlling confinement? Was it revenge against those who hurt him? Or was it for power that he craved since his first defeat?

Power. It was his motive for years no matter what the situation, betrayals or sacrifices the teen had to make during the course of his life. He was brought up to be the strongest, a force to definitely be reckoned with…

Then it hit him, causing the Russian's eyes to widen suddenly. Each time the sick bastards at the abbey called for him, they lured him with power; power that was enticing and perfect in its own twisted way. He went for it, caught in its grasp and going willingly. He was their prodigy, their little lab rat, and their _experiment_…

The wind sliced by, bringing up the snowflakes once again and causing Kai's open jacket to thrash in protest as the pupils in the Russian's eyes constricted in fury. A low growl erupted from his throat as he clenched his hand tightly into a fist, glaring at it. With Dranzer and the launcher safely stowed away in his pockets, the Russian walked down the concrete path towards the street, the jacket flaring from the increasing wind and snow.

"Kai, wait!" Tyson yelled after him, his cry falling on deaf ears. "Kai!"

Ignoring the other, Kai continued walking, crimson eyes with a gaze so fiery; it could have melted the snowflakes in front of him. He knew where the abbey was established; he couldn't forget it. He lived there most of his life. He _hated_ living there for most of his life. As the Russian got further and further away from downtown and into the rural area, the snowstorm had picked up strength and was pummeling everything with a chilling wind and sheets of snow. Kai's mind was set. He wanted to end Boris' reign once and for all, even his grandfather's if the old man was most likely involved again. He paid no mind to the cold as he continued walking, his cheeks exhibiting a light red tint from the icy air. His breath came out in crystallized puffs, fading afterwards. There was no rush, for he would get to the abbey in good time whether he ran or walked.

Soon, a large shadowy shape through the curtains of snowflakes was visible. It was quite a distance from the hospital to the abbey but the Russian teen was fired up enough to make it there, disregarding how long it took. He only stopped when he reached the front iron gate of the abbey, looking through the bars hatefully as he willed his breathing to steady.

'_Alright, Boris… I'll play your little game._' Kai thought sullenly, the cold starting to seep through him. '_Only for a little while then you're going to lose for good…_'

The gate creaked as it slid to the side by a mechanism in the stonewall, granting the Hiwatari heir passage to the depths of hell. Not wanting to let his muscles suffer from the cold, Kai pressed further until he reached one of the sets of double doors with no guards outside, most likely hiding back inside for shelter from the storm. Placing both hands on the double doors, Kai pushed them open with more force than necessary and they slammed open with the aid of the wind.

'_Welcome home._' His mind greeted him bitterly. There was no turning back.

He left the doors open and walked inside, the wind howling behind him and the snow flying through the new opening in the building. Two guards rushed past him to shut the doors, aware of the stoic teen's presence and it wouldn't be long until more knew of his return. He stopped at the end of the corridor, looking down the two directions the perpendicular hallway had. He could go either left or right but he had to remember which lead to Boris' office. If he didn't find him then the man would find him and he didn't want that. He looked from one side to the other, his decision still pending.

_'Left.'_

The snowflakes that stuck to the teenager's clothing and hair melted into water droplets as soon as made his decision on which way to go. His clothes were damp but that wasn't on his mind, he had much more important things at hand. It wasn't long until a few of the younger abbey dwellers spotted Kai with awe and surprised expressions. The older ones that happened to be heading away from the training area stopped dead in their tracks and gaped, not believing their eyes. There were mostly boys as usual, no big surprise. There _were_ girls but not as many since the last time he returned to the damnable place. The torches on the walls cast an eerie glow, throwing shadows when a draft was present around the flames. Kai did stop though. Only when he saw a particular individual that walked out from a branching corridor and looked at him.

"Look what the cat dragged in from the outside world. The all mighty prodigy." Dima smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "And how is that little brat doing? Is he dead yet? Have you called his mommy to kiss his bruises better?"

Kai narrowed his eyes at the other Russian, not pleased about seeing him but it was expected. "Where's Boris…"

"Now that's rude, won't you come to the welcoming party that was prepared for you?" Dima spat out sardonically. "It'd be a shame not to see your old friends and enemies that you left behind since your little break free incident."

Kai said nothing but simply growled low in his throat quietly. He didn't have time for this and his patience was already especially thin.

Dima smirked more and started walking over to the other, poking him in the chest when he was close enough. "You just had to go back to those weaklings, didn't you? If you stayed, you wouldn't have been held back by their ignorant friendship speeches and shit like that. You're nothing but a sentimental son of a bitch… In fact, you're nothing…"

Kai's muscles bunched up and he forcefully punched Dima across the face, getting sick of the other's pointless ramblings and he asked his question again. "Where's Boris, smart ass…"

Dima looked back, spitting blood on his hand and looking at it for a moment before sneering again at Kai. "You even hit like them."

Crimson eyes narrowed again as a clenched fist made contact a second time with the blond's face, driving his head back. "I'm not in the mood for your stupid games. Tell me where Boris is."

Growling with teeth clenched tightly, Dima felt blood dripping from his nose and the dull pain throbbing on his face. "…Down the hallway I just came from… You can't miss him really. Honestly, Hiwatari, has your memory failed you this often?"

When the Hiwatari teen walked past him and disappeared around the corner, Dima wiped the blood from his nose across his arm. _That_ was the Hiwatari he learned to hate and loathe. The old challenge was back and it caused Dima to smirk again, despite being punched twice by his better. _This_ was what he was waiting for…

"…You're a real jack ass, I hope you know that." Dima glanced over his shoulder slightly to see his sister standing there with a judgmental look and a partly swollen black eye. "He might have kicked your ass clear across the hall."

"Hell, I've earned it. If you were in my place, you'd probably do the same thing I did. Looks like you already did." Dima eyed the bruise forming on his sibling's face.

Sinya furrowed her eyebrows slightly and looked off. "It was a sucker punch."

"That's not what I heard-"

"Besides, weren't you the one that said not to hit anyone?" Sinya asked, looking back at her brother.

Dima folded his arms over his chest, muttering and glancing off to the side. "One, I didn't. And two, fuck that, I'm bored of this place with its same boring routines. We have to liven things up! We're not mindless drones! … Well, I don't know about the others here but we're definitely not."

Sinya said nothing for a moment, finding her brother's point valid but smirked slightly and looked off. "…You're still a jack ass."

"Yes, I am. Come, _sissy_, let's greet Hiwatari properly. A nice 'welcome home' kick in the ass!" Contented from adrenaline, Dima uncharacteristically grabbed the braid of his sibling and gave it a good yank. "Damn, it's been a while. Haven't called you that _and_ pulled on your hair since I was like what… five or six?"

"What a shame…" Sinya tried to pry her brother's grasp from her hair. "Cut it out. You're only happy when you're geared up after a fight or argument."

Ignoring the protest, Dima still held onto the braid and started walking down the dark hallway. "So what, you're the same. Let's go, _sissy_."

As strangely happy as the siblings were in the dreary abbey, they made their way down the hallway with a few playful punches and headlocks along the way. It was a rare sight but it would soon be put on hold when things heated up again.

(I just _had_ to put some sibling interaction there, as messed up as it is. Oo; Maybe that happens when no one is looking! Who knows! … Actually, I should know because they're my characters… and stuff… What was I saying? Oh, uh… Yeah, I actually updated a bit quicker now…oO; Isn't that amazing… And I'm tired, I don't care if there are typos but I updated! Xx hurrah?)


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